An ink or toner cartridge is a replaceable component of an ink jet printer or laser jet printer, respectively, that contains the ink or toner that is transferred onto paper or other substrate during the printing process. Certain cartridge manufacturers also add electronic contacts and a microchip (typically more simply referred to as a “chip”) that allows the cartridge to “communicate” with the printer. Some of these newer microchips can supposedly recognize the associated printer model or printer family by simply monitoring one or more operational parameters of the printer, such as signal frequency, signal time intervals, signal voltage, and so forth.
Typically, two separate cartridges are inserted into a printer, e.g., one containing black ink and one with each of the three primary colors. Alternatively, each primary color may have a dedicated cartridge. All printer suppliers typically produce their own type of ink or toner cartridges. Cartridges for different printers may be incompatible, either physically or electrically.
A common business model for inkjet and laser jet printers involves selling the actual printer at or below production cost, while dramatically marking up the price of the (proprietary) ink or toner cartridges. Some inkjet and laser jet printers enforce this product tying using microchips in the cartridges to prevent the use of third-party or refilled ink or toner cartridges. The microchips can function by storing an amount of ink or toner remaining in the cartridge, which is updated as printing is conducted. Expiration dates for the ink or toner may also be used. Even if the cartridge is refilled, the microchip will indicate to the printer that the cartridge is depleted. For some printers, special circuit flashers are available that reset the quantity of remaining ink or toner to the maximum. Some manufacturers have been accused of indicating that a cartridge is depleted while a substantial amount of ink or toner remains in the cartridge.
Because replacement cartridges from the original manufacturer of the printer are often expensive, some other manufacturers produce “compatible” cartridges as inexpensive alternatives. These cartridges sometimes have more ink or toner than the original OEM branded ink or toner cartridges and can produce the same quality. Some people choose to use aftermarket inks or toners, wherein they can either refill their own ink or toner cartridge, buy aftermarket remanufactured brands, or take them to a local refiller. However, sometimes the microchips associated with these replacement, refilled or remanufactured cartridges do not perform well, or are compatible with only a few models of printers, or are expensive or complex to manufacture.
Accordingly, there exists a need for new and improved microchips for use with various types, models and families of printer cartridges that overcome at least one of the aforementioned problems.